Jindal Stainless Ltd, Hissar

Nitin Tripathi is usually around at house 293 in Urban-Estate-Ii here in Hissar. Working at the stainless steel plant is a bit of a grind, but it’s what we do. The mornings are usually the busiest time because that’s when the night shift is leaving and the day shift is trying to get the machines warmed up. There is a specific smell to a steel plant—a mix of hot metal and industrial oil—that never really leaves your clothes. We don't have any polished speeches about what we do. We just show up, check the gauges, and make sure the stainless steel is being processed correctly. The Urban Estate area is a decent place to live, and it’s close enough that the commute isn't too bad, though the roads can be a mess after it rains. We have a small group of regulars who have been working together for years, so we don't need to say much to understand what needs to be fixed. It’s mostly about keeping the output steady and making sure nobody gets hurt around the heavy equipment. When things get loud, we just use hand signals to communicate. At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of people in Hissar making sure the metal gets where it needs to go. It’s honest, tough work that doesn’t leave much time for anything else, and that is just fine with us.